2017-18 Yale Women's Lacrosse News

The Yale women’s lacrosse team is off to its best start in 16 years -- 6-1. That hot streak will face a major challenge Tuesday afternoon, as No. 3 Boston College visits Reese Stadium (1:00 p.m., Ivy League Network). The Eagles are the highest-ranked opponent on Yale’s schedule, and are just a year removed from advancing to the NCAA Championship game.

In a highly competitive league like the Ivy League, a handful of goals can sometimes make the difference in a season. At this time a year ago the Yale women’s lacrosse team was 0-2 in the league but had lost those games by a total of three goals. So far this season, that trend has been reversed -- and as a result the Bulldogs are 2-0 and in first place. The latest win came Saturday at Reese Stadium, 19-17 vs. Brown. With the victory, Yale is 6-1 overall and off to its best start since starting the 2002 season 7-1.

The Yale women’s lacrosse team resumes Ivy League play Saturday, hosting Brown (1:00 p.m., Ivy League Network). The Bulldogs are off to a 5-1 start for the first time since 2014, and are 1-0 in the Ivy League. Saturday’s game matches up the two best teams in the league as far as draw controls go -- Brown averages 17.67 per game and Yale averages 17.00.

Down 6-4 at halftime Tuesday afternoon at Niagara, the Yale women’s lacrosse team turned its fortunes around in dramatic fashion in the second half. The Bulldogs outscored the Purple Eagles 10-1 in the second, winning 10 of 12 draw controls, to come away with a 14-7 win. Senior attacker Kiwi Comizio led Yale with five points (4-1-5), tying her career high, while senior midfielder Madeleine Gramigna scored four goals. Senior goalie Sydney Marks made nine saves.

Midfielder Marissa Malvaso’s goal with 4:37 left in the third overtime lifted Canisius to a 10-9 victory over the Yale women’s lacrosse team Sunday afternoon at Demske Sports Complex, snapping the Bulldogs’ four-game winning streak. Yale had trailed 9-5 before reeling off four goals in a span of 4:08 late in the second half to force overtime.

Off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 2014 -- and coming off a thrilling 16-15 overtime win vs. Harvard in the Ivy League opener last Saturday -- the Yale women’s lacrosse team starts Spring Break with a trip to a pair of MAAC opponents in western New York. The Bulldogs play at Canisius Sunday (1:00 p.m., ESPN3) and at Niagara Tuesday (1:00 p.m., Niagara Sports Network).

It was an epic victory for the Yale women’s lacrosse team defined by a moment that would make months of injury rehab worth it for one player in particular. Senior attacker Kiwi Comizio -- a two-sport star whose injury cost her the final three games of the 2017 lacrosse season and all of the 2017 field hockey season -- capped a back-and-forth battle with Harvard at Reese Stadium Saturday, scoring the game-winning goal for the Bulldogs at 4:36 of overtime. The win moves Yale to 4-0 for the first time since 2014 and ends a string of seven Harvard wins in the series.

Non-league play has gone well for the Yale women’s lacrosse team so far this season, as the Bulldogs have knocked off two ranked teams and are 3-0 for the first time since 2014. The Bulldogs now look to carry that momentum into league play, starting with a game against archrival Harvard this Saturday at Reese Stadium (1:00 p.m., Ivy League Network).

First-year attacker Kayla Duperrouzel (Fairfax Station, Va.) has added to her honors after helping the Yale women’s lacrosse team to a pair of wins last week. On Wednesday she was named National Rookie of the Week by Inside Lacrosse. That award comes on the heels of her being named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.

First-year attacker Kayla Duperrouzel (Fairfax Station, Va.), who helped the Yale women’s lacrosse team to a pair of wins last week, has been named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week. The league announced the award on Monday.

With seven games on the schedule against teams ranked in the preseason top 25, the Yale women’s lacrosse team knew that it would test itself against some of the best in the country this year. And so far, the Bulldogs have proven fully capable of accepting that challenge. The most recent evidence came Saturday, when they jumped out to an 8-1 lead on No. 19 UMass en route to a convincing 14-9 win.

Having already beaten one ranked team this season, the Yale women’s lacrosse team looks to add to its list of signature wins this Saturday with a visit from No. 19 UMass (3:30 p.m., Ivy League Network). The Minutewomen are one of eight teams on Yale’s schedule that made it to the NCAA Tournament last season -- the seventh straight time head coach Angela McMahon has led them to the tournament.

With three different players scoring at least three goals each, the Yale women’s lacrosse team held off an upset-minded Quinnipiac team in the Bobcats’ first game at their new stadium Wednesday afternoon. Junior midfielder Addie Zinsner and sophomore midfielder Barrett Carlson had four goals each, and junior attacker Izzy Nixon added three. The Bulldogs’ other two goals came from first-year attacker Kayla Duperrouzel. A 33-16 shot advantage helped Yale overcome a 14 save effort from Bobcats goalkeeper Kyle Larkin.

After upsetting then-No. 24 Albany in the season opener, the Yale women’s lacrosse team now turns its attention to a local rival. The Bulldogs make the short trip up I-91 on Wednesday afternoon to face Quinnipiac, which is playing its first game in its new stadium (3:00 p.m., Quinnipiac All-Access).

After leading the Yale women’s lacrosse team to a 12-10 upset of then-No. 24 Albany in the season opener this past Saturday at Reese Stadium, junior attacker Izzy Nixon (Greenwich, Conn.) has been named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week. The league announced the award on Monday.

One of the signs of progress for the Yale women’s lacrosse team last season was a signature 15-12 win vs. then-No. 19 Stanford at Reese Stadium -- the Bulldogs’ first win vs. a ranked team since 2010. That win came in the 12th game last year; this year, the Bulldogs made a statement in the very first game by taking down No. 24 Albany 12-10. Hat tricks from first-year attacker Kayla Duperrouzel and sophomore midfielder Vanessa Yu led the way.

The Yale women’s lacrosse team faces a challenging schedule this year, including seven games against teams that were ranked in the IWLCA preseason poll. The first of those games is the season opener, this Saturday at Reese Stadium, as the Bulldogs host No. 24 Albany (1:00 p.m., Ivy League Network).

The 2017 season was filled with plenty of close calls for the Yale women’s lacrosse team. The Bulldogs had four Ivy League games decided by two goals or fewer and could have made the postseason were it not for three one-goal losses. That gives the 2018 team something to shoot for as Yale returns six players who started six or more games last season. With six starters lost to graduation, the Bulldogs will be counting on some younger players to emerge as contributors. They do have a large senior class of 10 -- led by midfielder Madeleine Gramigna (Summit, N.J.), who captains the team as it heads into its 43rd varsity season. Those seniors have seen the team make steady progress in recent years, including a 2017 season that saw the Bulldogs set school records for goals, points and draw controls in a season and knock off a nationally ranked opponent for the first time since 2010. They aim to continue those trends in 2018.

A challenging schedule awaits the Yale women’s lacrosse team in 2018, as the Bulldogs will face eight teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season -- including NCAA runners-up Boston College. The full schedule was announced Tuesday.

Molly Hulseman, who played in the NCAA Tournament four times while at Loyola, has joined the Yale women’s lacrosse staff as an assistant coach. Erica LaGrow, Yale’s Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women’s Lacrosse, made the announcement today. A native of Chicago, Ill., Hulseman attended Loyola Academy -- the same high school as Yale’s other assistant coach, Colleen Smith.

Coming off a record-setting 2017 season, the Yale women’s lacrosse team welcomes 11 freshmen to the roster for 2017-18. The Class of 2021 represents seven different states and includes four midfielders, three attackers, three defenders and a goalkeeper.